Palestine: Reintegration of youths
Background
A whole generation of young people in Palestine is growing up in an environment full of violence and depression. Almost every second child or youth has experienced violence itself or had to witness it at a very near member of the family.
Holistic approach
Due to the fact that a lot of children, youths and young adults are disabled or mentally ill because they were victims of violence, YMCA helps them with its reintegration program. Therapy possibilities are offered and the social reintegration is supported. A holistic approach strengthens the self-confidence of the youths and supports their independence. Over 500 children, youths and young adults and their family members are benefitting of this arrangement.
Professional perspectives
The reintegration program is specialised on occupational counselling to be able to offer professional perspectives also to young people with disabilities. The young workers are learning the basic skills in workshops and courses and they are supported in finding work and study places or at the development of their self-employment.
Vouch for the rights of handicapped persons
YMCA is working together with other organisations simultaneously to improve the status of handicapped persons in the Palestinian society. YMCA informs on public events, on television or at schools and universities about the specific needs of handicapped persons and explains the consequences of traumata.
| Project Info | Duration | Project Budget 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| Horyzon is the Swiss development organisation for young people and supports projects in the South and East. | 2012-2014 | CHF 145'000.- |
Success Story: Reintegration of Bilal Mahmmud Al-Ghafi-Yatta
In january 2011, Laurent Burst, independent photographer for Horyzon, visited young Palestinians being involved with the YMCA. One of them is Bilal. Aged 19, israeli soldiers shot him in the head while he was trying to save children from the fire zone. His exceptionel story shows the importance of the development project in Palestine.
More Information
Project visit March 2011
Bruno Essig, new project manager at Horyzon, and his predecessor Adamo Antoniadis went visiting their partner projects in Palestine at the end of March 2011. In addition to numerous meetings with YWCA Palestine’s and East Jerusalem YMCA’s local project managers the project visit also offered the possibility to meet people who are directly supported by the projects.
Among other projects I visited East Jerusalem YMCA’s “reintegration programme” in Beit Sahour. Main subjects in the meeting with the people responsible were realised activities and the results for the year 2010. Another topic was the strategic realignment of the project for the years 2012 to 2016. The project managers like accomplishing an internal program analysis as well as a external environmental analysis to coordinate their services offered with poor people’s needs even better in the future.
It was very impressive and inspiring for me to meet with three young people who are attended by therapists from the reintegration programme. The two young men and the young women are able to live independently again thanks to the work of East Jerusalem YMCA. They also managed to foothold in school and even in the working world.
In the name of all beneficiaries Horyzon’s thank goes to our donors and to all our other supporters of the Palestinian projects.
News related to the projects in Palestine
- Travel report project visit 2011 (in german only)
- Journey for Justice 2011
- Outcry of youths in the Gaza Strip
- Israeli assault on "Gaza Freedom Flotilla"
- Human Rights First
Multimedia & activities
- Video report about the rehabilitation programme of East Jerusalem YMCA
- Pictures from the projects in Palestine
- Experience reports of former volunteers (German and English)
Support & donate
Partner organisation
Links to the topic Palestine/Israel
- SDC in the Westbank/Gaza (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation)
- OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
- UNDP (UN Development Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People)
- UNICEF (UNICEF in Occupied Palestinian Territory)
- UNRWA (UN agency for Palestine refugees)
- B'Tselem (Israeli information center for human rights in the occupied territories)
- The Electronic Intifada (Palestinian view on the conflict)